August 13, 2012

On Saturday in Detroit, the Democratic Party Platform Committee voted unanimously to approve a plank supporting the freedom to marry in the Democratic Party's official national platform. Now, the platform will be reviewed at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC in September, where it is expected to be ratified. If it is ratified, this platform will be the first time a major political party in the United States endorses the freedom to marry for all couples in their official national platform.

We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.

We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act.

Our founder and President Evan Wolfson responded to the news, praising the Democratic Party's deicsion to step forward in support of all families. Wolfson said:

Today's vote to include language supporting the freedom to marry in the Democratic Party's National Platform is a victory for fairness and families, and a historic moment long in the making. Support for the freedom to marry puts the party on the right side of history, and in the solid mainstream of the majority of the American people. Freedom to Marry applauds the Democratic Party for its fidelity to bedrock American values of the pursuit of happiness, liberty, and justice for all, and for its vision of an America that respects all families and honors commitment and love.

This year, Freedom to Marry has led the effort to encourage Democratic elected officials to speak out about the freedom to marry in our Democrats: Say I Do campaign. This decision signals a huge success for the organization and is a landmark step forward in the campaign to win marriage nationwide. The Democrats: Say I Do campaign has seen incredible momentum this year, with outspoken support from 22 Democratic Senators, the Chair of this year's Democratic National Convention, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Caroline Kennedy, and nine other co-chairs of President Obama's reelection campaign - plus more than 40,000 Americans who have added their names to our online petition.

Freedom to Marry applauds the Democratic Party Platform Committee's unanimous decision and urges the rest of the Democratic party to ratify the official platform. We are proud to see the Democratic Party use its platform to officially stand up for all families and continue working toward protections for all loving and committed couples.

Freedom to Marry was the campaign to win marriage nationwide. With the Supreme Court victory on June 26, 2015, the work of this strategic campaign – though not the larger movement – was achieved, and Freedom to Marry wound down its operations, closing in early 2016. For inquiries, please email legacy@freedomtomarry.org.